The fields of biological imaging and imaging in general have benefited from improvements in digital camera technology as a whole. One such improvement has been an increase in the number of pixels detectors in modern cameras which has led to higher resolution images and, therefore, higher quality data generation.
Gel electrophoresis is a common procedure for the separation of biological molecules, such as DNA, RNA, polypeptides and proteins. In gel electrophoresis, molecules can be separated into bands according to the rate at which an imposed electric field causes them to migrate through a filtering gel. A gel enclosed in a glass tube or sandwiched as a slab between glass or plastic plates can be utilized. Gels have an open molecular network structure, defining pores that are saturated with an electrically conductive buffered solution of a salt. These pores are large enough to enable passage of the migrating macromolecules through the gel.
One problem with electrophoresis gels is that they are not always the same size or shape and they are often positioned in imaging devices with varying positions and orientations. Also, the bands are often irregular or imperfectly formed. Bands can appear curved, crooked, or sometimes faint. These problems are well known in the field and present analysis challenges.
Another problem with conventional gel imaging devices is that they fail to utilize their light sensors efficiently by imaging large portions of background which contains irrelevant information.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to create a system, method, and apparatus to image electrophoresis gels with varying attributes and to acquire the highest quality images possible to increase image resolution and therefore data precision and accuracy. Such a system will maximize the use of a detector's pixel sensors by increasing the footprint an object, or electrophoresis gel, consumes in the detector's field of view.